If the recent political posturing by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were any indication, a pre-poll alliance between the JD(U) and the Congress could well be a distinct possibility in the near future.
Reacting to senior leader Shivanand Tewari’s call for a JD(U)-Congress alliance in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Nitish while remaining non-committal on the issue, however, did not rule out the prospect altogether.
“We have not yet thought about it, so how come we say that a decision is being taken in this regard,” the CM said, adding that everyone had the freedom to express their views.
Even though Nitish has been rather evasive on the issue of striking up an alliance with the Congress, his recent political manoeuvring has shown that the Bihar CM indeed wants to hitch the JD(U) on to the Congress-led UPA bandwagon. However, “(it has to be) in a respectable way as he was known and seen as a product of the anti-Congressism”, said a senior JD(U)leader.
Political circles pointed out that it was rather significant that Nitish had not outrightly rejected Tewari’s call. And this they said indicated that the necessary political moves had been made.
Despite Nitish breaking new ground by openly stating that the Congress is no longer regarded as a political pariah by the JD(U), the party has not taken a final call on firming up an alliance with the Congress.
However, the fact of the matter is that the JD(U)remains deeply divided on the issue. And JD(U)chief Sharad Yadav, who virtually contradicted Nitish, echoed SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s view that a Third Front could emerge in the post-poll scenario.
Sources said that a section of the JD(U) leadership also subscribed to their party chief’s view that the Congress had hardly any presence or acceptability in the state.
According to them, the Congress is playing a double game, keeping their old ally the RJD on standy-by mode, while wooing the JD(U) and will finally tilt towards the party which suits its politically.
Nonetheless from Nitish’s end, moves are afoot to solemnise the alliance with the grand old party and give it a justificatory spin.